Every year in the last week of September the same question does the rounds of Ahmedabad family groups: what are this year's Navratri colours? The list changes every year because it follows the weekday each day falls on, and in 2026 Ghatasthapana lands on a Sunday, which sets the whole sequence. Here it is, followed by the part people ask us about: how to pick a thali and diyas that sit well with the colours without buying nine of everything.
Navratri 2026 colours, day by day
- Sunday 11 October, Orange. Day 1, Pratipada, Maa Shailputri. Ghatasthapana in the morning, first garba at night.
- Monday 12 October, White. Day 2, Maa Brahmacharini.
- Tuesday 13 October, Red. Day 3, Maa Chandraghanta.
- Wednesday 14 October, Royal Blue. Day 4, Maa Kushmanda.
- Thursday 15 October, Yellow. Day 5, Maa Skandamata.
- Friday 16 October, Green. Day 6, Maa Katyayani. Also Shashthi, the start of Durga Puja for Bengali households.
- Saturday 17 October, Grey. Day 7, Maa Kalaratri.
- Sunday 18 October, Purple. Day 8, Ashtami, Maa Mahagauri. Kanya pujan in many homes.
- Monday 19 October, Peacock Green. Day 9, Navami, Maa Siddhidatri. The last garba night.
Dussehra follows on Tuesday 20 October. If you keep an aarti diary or a garba wardrobe list, those nine lines are the whole thing.
Why the colours change every year
The nine colours are tied to weekdays, not to the goddesses themselves. Each weekday has a colour, and the sequence starts from whichever weekday Pratipada falls on. Because the lunar calendar shifts against the weekday calendar, the order rotates. In 2026 the extra lunar month earlier in the year pushed Navratri into mid October, which is later than usual, and started it on a Sunday, so orange comes first. Next year the sequence will start somewhere else.
The practical consequence is that a thali bought to match one year's Day 1 colour will not match the next year's Day 1. So we suggest choosing on a different basis.
How to choose one thali colour for nine nights
Nobody needs nine pooja thalis. Three ways families we work with settle on one:
Match the day your family's main puja falls on
For most Gujarati homes that is Ashtami, Sunday 18 October, purple this year, or Navami, Monday 19 October, peacock green. Our purple thali with three brass diyas and the peacock teal thali are the two most ordered for Navratri for exactly this reason. Both come in 10, 12 and 14 inch sizes from ₹1,199.
Match your kuldevi's colour or your mandir
Red and maroon for Ambe Maa and most kuldevi shrines, saffron and orange for Bahuchar Maa, green and white for others. If your mandir is already red, a red thali disappears; a white or ivory one stands out. The orange and white 8 inch thali at ₹1,099 is the one we point people to when the mandir is deep red.
Pick a colour that stays neutral all year
A thali is used every Tuesday and Thursday after Navratri, then again for Diwali. Sage mint, ivory and soft blue do not fight with any festival. The mint blossom thali starts at ₹599 in 6 inch and goes up to 14 inch, and the frosted blue thali reads as royal blue on Day 4 and calm blue every other day.
If you want a specific colour that is not on the site, every thali is poured to order, so tell us the shade and send a reference. Read our five-diya Navratri thali article for what can be changed and by when.
Diyas and tealights in the day colours
Where the nine colours do work well is in small pieces bought in a set. Tealight holders are cheap enough to have several, and lined along the entrance on garba night they do more for the house than any single large piece.
- Pastel lotus tealight holders, ₹199 each or ₹149 from 50, in teal, maroon, coral, white, magenta, lilac and blush. That covers red, white, purple and green nights.
- Pearl and gold-leaf tealight holders, ₹169 each or ₹129 from 50, in maroon, pink, red, green, blue, white and purple.
- Gold filigree tealight stands, ₹169 each or ₹129 from 50, in pink, white, mint, lavender and peach.
Families hosting a society garba or a home aarti with guests often order a mixed run of 25 to 50 across the colours and hand them out on Navami as a thank-you. At those quantities the bulk rate applies on its own in the cart.
If you are ordering for Navratri, read this first
A made-to-order thali takes 10 to 14 days in the studio. Ghatasthapana is 11 October.
- Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar: order by the end of September and it arrives before Day 1.
- Rest of Gujarat: same deadline, plus two to four days of courier time.
- Rest of India: an order in the first week of October will arrive during Navratri, not before it. Ask us on WhatsApp before ordering if it must be there for Ghatasthapana.
- Tealight holders in stock colours ship faster than custom thalis. If you only need the small pieces, there is more room.
And if the dates do not work, do not force it. The same thali is a Diwali thali three weeks later, on Sunday 8 November, and we will say so rather than promise a date we cannot meet. Browse the full pooja thali collection to compare layouts.
